70 years of Christian Aid celebrated

Pictured, from right, last week in Templepatrick at the celebration event to mark 70 years of Christian Aid were - Deborah Doherty of Christian Aid , Rev William McMillan and Shelagh Richardson floral demonstrators.

Rev William McMillan and Shelagh Richardson delighted the packed audience with their entertaining commentary and floral arrangement skill.

The former illustrated his love for foliage plants and his relaxed approach to composition and structure in his designs and mixed humour and thoughtfulness in his references to the discovery and ‘capture’ of a range of plant species over the years by missionaries and explorers.

Shelagh adopted a “Destination Flowers” approach emphasising global diversity through designs evocative of the colours and traditions of India, Africa and Norway. She wove mental images based on her travel experiences and completed each design with a short poem to emphasise the themes of community, equality and spiritual perspectives.

Deborah Doherty, of Christian Aid in NI, showed a DVD to review 70 years and talked about ongoing plans to help alleviate global property and abolish injustice. Musical contributions by singer/songwriter Jonny Lennox and refreshments completed a memorable evening through which significant funds were raised to support the charity’s work.